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There have been a lot of new mattress companies popping up recently. On this site, I only review the ones that I think have a good chance at sticking around long-term, and I think Nest Bedding is going to be one such company.
The Alexander Signature Series by Nest is a line of luxury mattresses. The Alexander Signature mattresses—soft, medium and firm in foam and a hybrid version. These four different offerings seek to deliver luxe without requiring big bucks. (See what I did there?!)
All foam or hybrid, Nest put some money into the fabrics, features and materials. They hoped to deliver a comfortable, supportive mattress. Then they paired the product with the ease of online ordering and getting your mattress delivered direct from the factory to try to give customers the full package.
Because this luxury series of mattresses costs more than other online offerings, Nest knew it had to take a holistic approach to building their business.
The four-mattress Alexander Signature Series is the result.
Here are some cool things to consider about the memory foam Alexander Signature mattress and the Alexander Hybrid:
Quilted Top: An extra touch of luxury instead of the typical flat top of other foam mattresses
Type
The Alexander Signature Mattresses (soft, medium, firm) are foam mattresses.
The Alexander Signature Hybrid has a core of memory foam and innerspring coils.
Cooling
The Alexander Signature mattresses are made of foam, which has a bad reputation for heating up and leaving many sleepers sweating and uncomfortable. Technology has changed that. These mattresses have a breathable fabric cover and cooling gel at the top layers and use a viscous foam for another level. The overall effect is a cooler mattress.
The Alexander Hybrid is made with similar foam materials, with the same cooling effects as the rest in the line, but also has a 7-inch layer of coils. Coils naturally allow good airflow so you won’t overheat.
Firmness
The Alexander Firm mattress is very firm, ultra in industry jargon. This type is good for heavier people (BMI 35-40+) who sleep on their backs or stomachs. The firmness may be too much for side sleepers, who need more contouring for their shoulders or hips. But try a mattress topper in case that helps. You’ll also be OK if you don’t have many curves to your body. Of course if you grew up liking the feel of a very firm mattress, like using a Japanese futon, this would also appeal to your tastes.
The Alexander Medium is exactly what it purports to be—a medium mattress. Many boxed mattresses are on the firm side of medium. The Alexander medium is right in the center of the firmness scale. This mattress appeals to and is good for anyone who is about average weight. If you’re very heavy or very light, you should try the firm or soft versions, respectively. Side and back sleepers might like the Medium. Also, anyone who likes a soft mattress but don’t want to sink through the mattress, may find this one pleasant enough for their tastes.
The Alexander Soft is very soft. It’ll cradle all of your covers, whether you need it to or night. Side or back sleepers with a slim or athletic build could find a lot of like in the soft version. When you’re light, you don’t need the support or firmness as other body types to keep away from undue pressure or keep your spine in alignment. That’s because you’re not exerting as much pressure on the mattress. Also, if you have always slept on a soft mattress, you will probably like this one.
The Alexander Hybrid feels somewhere between the soft and medium levels of the other Alexander mattresses. In other words, it’s a smidge softer than the average medium mattress. Obviously, with the coils inside, the bed itself is bouncier. People who don’t like memory form will appreciate the coil system and side sleepers who don’t want their mattress to be too soft should respond well to the hybrid.
Edge support
If you sleep with a partner and find you have to use the entire surface of your mattress, you should consider how well the edge of a mattress supports you, whether you’re sitting or sleeping.
Foam mattresses traditionally don’t do as well holding up on the edges are traditional innerspring mattresses. But Alexander Signature line is a new entrant in the online bed sweepstakes. Their technology is new. The Alexander Signature mattresses do support you without making you feel like you’re gonna get pitched over the side. Specific to the hybrid, the coils do enhance edge support even more.
Motion transfer
You don’t want a lot of movement and disturbance on your side of the bed when your significant other or child is getting out or thrashing about on the other side.
Foam mattresses, like the Alexander Signature, and hybrid mattresses, with a combo of foam and coils, like the Alexander hybrid, normally do a good job limiting motion transfer, better than traditional innerspring coil-only mattresses. The same holds true here so long as the bed is suited to your sleep position, firmness taste and body type.
The 13-inch thickness of the Alexander Signature mattresses have three (firm) or five (soft, medium) different layers, depending on the level of firmness. If you cut the medium version to see the inside, it will look like this:
The fabric cover is a 1/2-inch of cool stretch, quilted fabric. Not all foam mattresses quilt their fabric covers. It’s a nice touch because it keeps materials underneath from shifting and keeps the surface smooth. That also helps air flow through to keep it cool.
The bonus is that the cover is quilted with the first layer, 2.5 inches of gel memory foam to make that first contact with the mattress very soft. Then the gel cools the mattress. The memory foam molds to your body curves, accepting your body an d avoiding the pressure points that cause pain or soreness and shifting throughout the night.
The second layer is a 4-inch layer of gel memory foam that relieves pressure on any body parts that need contouring. The gel infusion draws heat away from bodies. This comfort layer will allow you to sink into the bed before you hit the support layer.
The third layer is a 1-inch Visco Memory Foam. There’s more pressure relief in this layer. You’ll sink further down through this layer, but, at this point, the foam is sturdier so you’re not sinking through the mattress.
The fourth layer transitions you from contouring to support with 1 inch of a firmer poly foam.
The fifth layer forms the base. It is 4 inches of high density poly foam. It acts as the base and support system of the mattress. This layer gives the mattress its shape and makes it durable.
The Alexander Soft has a 1.5 inch quilted cover which sits directly over a comfort layer of 2.5 inches of gel memory foam. Beneath that there is 2 inches of visco foam followed by a 3-inch transition layer of poly foam. The base of the Alexander Signature Soft consists of 4 inches of high density poly foam.
The Alexander Firm is made up of 3 total layers of foam. The base of the Firm mattress is 6 inches of high density poly foam, just like the other two versions. The comfort layer of is 2 inches of gel memory foam, which sits directly over a 3-inch poly foam transition layer. The cover of this mattress version is also quilted with 1.5 inches of foam.
The 12-inch Alexander Signature Hybrid is made up of five different layers.
The first layer is a 1.5-inch memory foam layer infused with gel. It is quilted with soft “thermic phase change” fabric. The two elements work together to keep the bed cool from the top down.
The second layer is a 1.5-inch TitanChil Endurance Foam which adds another cooling layer and support. This layer will do more to mold to your body. It has some give to account from the body parts that may protrude (hips and shoulders for side sleepers, booties for back sleepers, stomachs for stomach sleepers).
The third layer is a 1.5-inch Copper Infused Energex Foam. The copper, one of the most conductive metals on earth, helps dissipate heat from the mattress and your body. The foam is responsive and has some give.
The fourth layer is 1-inch block of a 3-pound density foam called SmartFlow Support Foam. It’s to make sure you feel supported and to enhance the mattress’ durability.
The fifth layer, holding up the rest of the layers, is an 8-inch wedge of Quantum Edge Pocketed Support Coils. Coils always make mattresses breathable. Individually wrapped coils also do a good job of responding to your body movements when you change sleep positions.
COOLING TECHNOLOGY: Layers include Gel Foam and SmartFlow technologies to help keep sleepers cool at night
Here is a breakdown of the Alexander Signature and Signature Hybrid mattresses from Nest:
Alexander Signature, Queen: 80 pounds
Alexander Sig. Hybrid, Queen: 105 pounds
Thickness
Alexander Signature: 13 inches
Alexander Signature Hybrid: 12 inches
You have 100 nights to figure out if one of the Alexander Signature series mattresses fits your needs and expectations. Nest wants you to give it the old college try; that means you have to sleep in it at least 30 days before you can give up and ask for an exchange or refund.
It’s not a weird request. It takes that long to get used to a new mattress. Nest strongly encourages you to call them if you’re still uncomfortable after 30 days. They might make another suggestion, like changing your base or pillow, adding their cooling topper or exchanging for a softer or firmer version of the mattress. Either way, Nest says they’re committed to working with customers to figure it out.
If you do return the mattress, you do get a full refund and the mattress goes to a charity if Nest can arrange it. If not, the company picks it up for free.
Warranty
The Alexander Signature series comes with a hefty 20-year warranty, which covers the mattress sagging more than 1 inch or any splitting seams. The “industry standard” for warranties is 10 years. Nest is betting they’ve built the mattresses so well that they’ll last much longer.
However, keep in mind that the warranty doesn’t necessarily reflect how long a mattress will be comfortable. The mattress will become less comfortable long before it physically starts falling apart, so you should expect to get maybe 10 years of good use out of this mattress.
Delivery & Setup
The Alexander Signature mattresses come compressed in properly sizes packing cartons. Each mattress is custom-built once ordered, which takes 1-3 days. The total time to build, prep and deliver the mattress to you will be some 4-8 business days.
You won’t pay for shipping, unless you live in Hawaii or Alaska.
Once the mattress arrives, grab a buddy and put it on the foundation you’ll be using. Then take it out of its box and plastic wrapper and wait for it to re-inflate. That will take several minutes.
BUILD, PREP, AND DELIVER: 4-8 days from start to delivery
The customer service folk at Nest operate throughout the entire week. I just used the chat feature—you can also call or email—at noon on the West coast on a Saturday. I asked some nit-picky questions about size options and price.
The rep did her best to wade through what I considered a challenging line of questioning. Know that they are willing to put in the effort.
Overall, Nest offers the same customer-pleasing things online customers nearly demand these days (read: free shipping and returns, except if you live in Alaska or Hawaii.)
Alexander Signature Series high $$ to low $$$
Alexander Signature Hybrid high $$ to mid $$$ (See scale below)
| Symbol | Range |
|---|---|
| $ | $0-500 |
| $$ | $500-1,000 |
| $$$ | $1,000-2,500 |
| $$$$ | $2,500 – $5,000 |
| $$$$$ | $5,000+ |
Also, you can add additional cooling to any of the signature mattresses with a topper built for that purpose, in the $159 range
And none of the mattresses come with a boxspring. You should use a platform, an existing rigid foundation or an adjustable base. The signature mattress will work the way they’re meant to on any of those surfaces. Nest sells a version of all three.
When searching for the perfect mattress, we try not to get stuck in a dense forest of the same size, color, weight and firmness options. So many try to hit the perfect middle ground — medium firm, 10-inch width, foam. How can you tell one from the other? Why should you try?
Nest breaks up the inertia with the Alexander Signature Series of 13-inch mattresses, with different firmness options and the choice between full foam and a hybrid of foam and coils.
They don’t feel so affordable in the way that some direct-to-consumer, online, boxed mattresses do. But Nest gives you quality in the Alexander Series. You’re paying a little more for that.
The options you get and the quality Nest gives you in all of the Alexander mattresses gives you as much a chance to be satisfied as possible.
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My husband and I had a waterbed for about 25 years. It wore out and we’re trying to find a bed we both like. I am a side sleeper and my husband sleeps on his back. He’s 6’2″, 225 lbs. I’m 5’3″, 175 pounds. We bought a saatva soft and it was too hard and never got comfortable. We are sleeping on the Alexander Signature Soft and love the feel but are waking up with sore backs. Maybe not enough support? Alexander makes a hybrid labeled as “soft”. Is it more supportive but still cloud like? Loving the soft except for the sore back.
The Alexander Hybrid Soft is pretty soft. It’s roughly on par with the Alexander Signature Soft. Maybe switching to the Alexander Signature Medium is the best bet?
Dear Mattress Nerd,
Having a hard time deciding between the Nest Alexander Medium and Loom and Leaf Relaxed Firm. Researching, the L&L seems to get slightly higher grades but it appears it may have slightly less dense foam in the bottom layers. So my concern is it may wear faster and the Nest may be a better value long term. Any thoughts? Love the site and insight you provide.
Thanks,
Mike
They’re both solid mattresses and I’m an affiliate for both companies. It’s tough to know which one is better for you. When I tried them, the L&L Relaxed Firm felt a little stiffer than the Alexander Medium, but other than that, I don’t think you’d be making a mistake either way you went.
One thing to keep in mind though is the Nest does the more common thing with direct-to-consumer foam mattresses and ships it in a box. For the Loom and Leaf, you’re paying for delivery, which isn’t refundable if you return it. On the other hand, they set it up for you. So, there’s a tradeoff that way.
Besides that and the firmness difference, they’re pretty similar and it is not at all a clear choice one way or another. It’s like Coke vs Pepsi in my opinion.
I am struggling between the Nest Alexander Medium and the Loom and Leaf Relaxed Firm — did you prefer one over the other? Thanks!
The L&L will be slightly firmer, and they have a delivery charge that isn’t refundable, but otherwise they’re fairly similar. It’s impossible to tell which one you’ll like better. I know it doesn’t help, but I don’t think going either direction would be a bad choice.
I am 140 lbs, side sleeper, back and hip pain, and lots of problems with pressure points waking me up at night (especially my hips). I am really interested in trying the Nest Alexander. Is it best to go for the medium since that is supposed to work for the majority of sleepers? I’ve read a few comments that some people find even the medium to firm for side sleeping and it creates pressure points on their hips and shoulders. I tried a Tempur-Pedic Cloud Luxe and a Cloud Supreme. The Luxe is very comfortable but just not sure I could get used to that much overall body sink. It gives quite a hug. The Cloud Supreme was also comfortable although it could have used a touch more sink for my shoulder than I was getting. Any advice?
If you prefer the Cloud Luxe from Tempurpedic, I’d recommend the Soft Alexander.
Hey Im currently considering buying the Alexander in Medium/ soft or Novosbed Medium/ soft. Im 5’4 140 lbs and a side and back sleeper and my wife 5’1 110lbs side sleeper. We tried the Tempurpedic Cloud supreme breeze and like it. Which matress would you say is closest to to the Tempurpedic? If you have other suggestion am open to it. Also should we go with soft or medium. The only thing I would say I didnt like about the Tempurpedic would be the difficulties in getting out of it. I have a hard time getting up real early at 4am lol.
Hi, I have been stuck between the Alexander Signature Series Medium/Soft vs. the Hybrid. I currently have had the Helix (My side is Medium Soft) and is way too hard. I have had now for a little over 30 days as well and it hasn’t given at all. I have read in numerous post that the soft is not noticeable from the medium soft so that is out.
I have decided on trying out the Nest Alexander series. Do I go Signature Series or Hybrid, and if I go Signature Series do I go Medium or Soft? My wife and I (in our early 30’s) are combinations sleepers, she is 5’7″ under 130 lbs, and likes her Helix medium side. I am 6’4″ 190 lbs and like a softer “cloud, hotel” feel, but with good support (don’t need back issues). I tend to sleep hot as well.
” There is no fee for the return, and they do NOT make you do the work to return it. They will find a local charity for you and donate the mattress.”
I’m sorry, but that is a joke. I had to submit a bunch of photos to show it was in good shape – fair enough. But NY state generally prohibits mattress donations (they make it difficult to comply for health reasons, so no charities outside NYC usually accept them). After some back and forth with Nest I was told to put the mattress on craigslist for free, send them a link to the posting and a picture of the person taking it away, once one did. I declined, of course, for my own safety. Then I was instructed to donate it to a charity (already been through that discussion with them) or dispose of it with proof (a receipt or a photo). I finally contacted my trash hauler, and I have to set the mattress curbside so it can go to the local landfill. It’s a good thing I’m strong and healthy enough to do all the lifting.
1) They didn’t make you pay a fee, and 2) you didn’t have to do the work to return it. Sounds like all you had to do was set it outside. So I don’t think my assessment of the situation is a “joke.”
Hi — I”m also comparing the Loom & Leaf Relaxed Firm to the Alexander Medium. I tend to gravitate to softer, but have lower back and hip issues. Want something that is firm enough to provide support w/o me melting into the bed and causing me to angle funny. I understand the Alexander mattresses to be a bit softer in general. I sleep well in hotels and they are usually medium, I figure anyway. Is the Loom & Leaf like sleeping on a board — I need something balanced and not too firm, not too soft. And while I want memory foam, I don’t want to sink into it like you do Temperpedics.
The L&L Relaxed Firm will be firmer than the Alexander Medium. Additionally, if you return the L&L, you don’t get the delivery fee back. So it might be worthwhile trying the Alexander first, and if that’s too soft, or you sink into it too much, switch it out for the L&L after.
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